Dummy operating means for simulated games



1954 K. A. WIDEGREN ETAL. 2,698,179

DUMMY OPERATING MEANS FOR SIMULATED GAMES Filed April 10, 1951 2,698,179 Patented DecYZS, 1954 DUIVIMY OPERATENG MEANS FOR SIMULATED GAMES Klas A. Widegren and Emil H. Widegren, Lidingo, Sweden Application April it), H51, Serial No. 220,212

(llaims priority, application Sweden April 17, 1950 4 Claims. (Cl. 273*85) The present invention relates to table game apparatus or devices intended to resemble hockey, football or the like. Broadly the invention includes a suitably square playing field, comprising a plate of cardboard, sheetmetal or another suitable material. A puck, ball or the like can be propelled around by means of a plurality of dummies, representing field players and goalkeepers of opposing two teams. The dummies on the playing field can be moved and rotated in slots in the plate by the operators by means of operating rods located under the plate, said rods of respective teams being movably and rotatably journalled in the opposite sides of a frame surrounding the playing field and accessible for the operators outside the frame. The operation is possible because the dummies are removably mounted on stand ards, each of which is secured by a flexible shaft coupling under the plate to one of said operating rods, which rods and corresponding standards are held rotatably at a certain angle to each other by a holder or carrier carried by the playing field plate or by a plate applied for this purpose below the holders and movable at its upper portion in a slot in the playing field plate. As the movement of the holder in question is guided or controlled in the longitudinal as well as the transverse direction of the slot, it holds its appurtenant standard at substantially right angles to the playing field in both these directions.

The guiding or controlling of the holder in the transverse direction was heretofore made by providing slots in'the above-mentioned lower plate parallel to the slots in the playing field plate and by providing each holder with a member to insert into the corresponding slot in the lower plate. If such a guiding device is precision made, it is efficient, but rather expensive. That is also the case if instead of slots for the guiding, grooves in cardboard, metal or the like are provided on the upper side of said lower plate in which grooves the holders run.

According to the present invention the holder is made in such a way that the lower plate for guiding or controlling the holder needs no slots, grooves or the like and in certain cases the plate can be entirely dispensed with. This device is characterized in that it has so wide a body or has projecting portions in the transverse direction of the slot located against or close to the playing field plate and/or a lower plate, and besides, has vertically so small a clearance in relation to the playing field plate that when'the operating rod isrotated or subjected to lateral pressure, the displacement of the holder out of its resting position caused thereby' is so limited that the holder when tilted in the transverse direction of the slotholds-the standard for carrying the dummy at least at approximately a right angle to the playing field.

The device is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing containing the Figures 1 to 10.

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary front sectional view of a game apparatus embodying one form of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side sectional view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a topplan view thereof.

Fig. 4 is a View similar to Fig. 1 but showing a modified form of the invention.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing still another modified form of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a front sectional view and Fig. 7 a side sectional View of a further modification of the invention.

Fig. 8 is a front sectional view of yet another modified form of the invention.

Fig; 9 is a side sectional view of the device of Fig. 8 and showing a dummy in position.

Fig. 10 is a view of apiece of sheet metal from which the holder or carrier is formed.

In Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the character 1 designates the playing field plate or board. On its upper side it is surrounded by a frame 2 and is supportedfrom below by aframe 3 having the plate or board 4 below, which, is without slots, grooves or the like for the guiding of the slidable holders. in the plate 1' there are slots 5, one for eachstandard 6, which standards are adapted to carry dummies, for example according to Fig; 9. In the passage 7 in the frame" 3 the rod 8 is slidable and rotatably journalled,'the portion of the rod located outside the frame being provided with a handle 9 of rubher or another suitable material to be operated by the player during the playing. The other end'of' the rod. 8 is fixed to one end of a helical spring 10, the'other'end of which is fixed to'the standard 6, said spring forming a flexible shaft coupling between the standard 6 and the rod 3, which are held in the relative angular positions as shown in the figures by being guided in sleeves 11' and 12, which are fixed to the angle bracket 13 made of a strip of sheet-metal. The former'sleeve is fixed to the horizontal part of the angle bracket directly above the lower plate 4 andthe' latter to the vertical part of the angle bracket and freely movable in the slot 5 of the playing field'plate. The angle 13 has at its upper portion a horizontally extending small fia'nge'portion 13a which is wider in the transverse direction towards the slot 5 than said slot and located close tothe playing field plate 1. The angle 13 and its horizontally extending portion 13a may preferably be of the same width. A cross-piece 14- formed of a strip of sheet-metal is fixed below the horizontal part of the angle' 13, which cross-piece extends on'both sides of the angle 13, its end portions resting on the plate 4. The cross-piece may for its whole length or may only partially rest against the plate, or only its end portions may rest on the plate or close to it. The angle 13 together with the spring 10, sleeves lit and 12 and the cross-piece 14 form the. abovementioned holder. The member 15 shown' in'Fig. '2 comprises a lap punched out of the angle 13 to support the helical'spring ltl.

This device functions substantially in the following way:' When the rod 8 is rotated around its longitudinal axis, it will tend to turn or tilt the holder,'but if the rotation is not too violent and the rotatory resistance is not too high, the turning 'of the holder is prevented by the weight of its. parts so'that theholder despite the rotation of the rod remains in resting position on the plate 4, the two end portions of the'cross-piece 14 resting against the plate. When the rod 8 is violently rotated, one of the end portions of the'cross-piece 14 will be lifted from the plate 4, but if this happens, the extending portion 13a of the angle 13 will also be lifted. As the play between said portion and the plate 1'is rather small said portion 13a will strike against plate 1 whereby the lateral displacement of the holder from its resting position will be limited so that the holder holds the standard and its dummy in the transverse direction of the slot at least approximately at a right angle to the playing field. If the rod 8 while being in an extended position is subjected to a lateral pressure instead of rotation, the holder in spite of its being partially insertedin the slot will also then be displaced from its resting position, which displacement is however limited in substantially the same way as stated above upon the rotation of the rod. The perpendicular position of the standard to the playing field plate along the slot is not disturbed by the above-mentioned rotation of the rod 8 or by the lateral'pressure on the same, Whether said rod is moved or is not so that the upper ends of the standards move at a substantially constant distance above the playing surface.

To facilitate the operation of the device, it is desirable that the resistance to the rotation of the rod be as slight as possible and for this reason it is first of all important that the flexible shaft coupling moves easily. Under violent operation it may happen that the helical. spring in the coupling becomes deformed, so that the resistance against the turning of the rod increases, and thus, the holder is likely to get jammed in the transverse direction of the slot, whereby the displacement of the holder along the slot in the playing field plate is rendered diflicult. To counteract the tendency to deform the helical spring, the angle bracket has a projecting portion comprising a lap punched out of the material of the bracket as shown in Fig. 2, which lap is provided with a small interspace in front of the centre of the outer curve of the helical spring, and which forms when said spring is subjected to a severe strain a protective support for it. Said spring can be further protected by making it of coarser wire. In such a case there ought to be a wide space between the windings of the spring, at least at the part of said spring which is curved in the flexible shaft coupling, as the resistance against turning will then be slight.

Instead of being carried on the lower plate 4 by the crosspiece 14 according to the Figs. 1-3, the holder may be carried on said plate only by the centre portion of the holder, i. e. by the lower part of the angle 13, the crosspiece being so applied on the angle that at least its end portions will come close to the playing field plate with only a small play in relation to said plate, and then support the holder in the transverse direction when it is necessary. Such an embodiment is shown in Fig. 4 in which the cross-piece having in this figure the character 16, is fixed to the extending portion 13a of the angle 13. By arranging the supports in such a way the displacement of the holder out of its resting position in the transverse direction is limited largely in the same way as in the arrangement according to the Figs. l3.

When the cross-piece is placed at the top as shown in Fig. 4, the plate 4 may be dispensed with and the holder may be carried by the playing field plate 1, for example by means of a ring 17 applied on the sleeve 12 above the plate according to Fig. 3, the outer diameter of the ring being greater than the width of the slot 5. In order to prevent the ring from wearing on the upper surface of the plate close to the slot when displacing the holder, the edges of the slot may be lined with metal fittings or the like and the ring may be rotatably applied on the sleeve. In this case the displacement of the holder out of its resting position is limited by the striking of the end portions of the cross-piece against the bottom side of the playing field plate and by the ring 17 engaging its upper side.

When the game is provided with a lower plate 4, the holder may be made with support at the bottom, that is according to Figs. 1-3 and at the top according to Fig. 4. For this purpose it is not necessary to have two cross-pieces. There may be only one cross-piece fixed to a suitable portion of the angle 13, the end portions of said cross-piece being formed to provide supports I both at the top and at the bottom. With such supports the holder becomes so stable against influence from the rod 8 when operated that the distance between the supports in the transverse direction can be made smaller than in the other embodiments. To simplify the making of the supports for the holder arranged in this way, the body of the angle 13 is made so wide that the angle itself affords the desired supports at the bottom and at the top. This embodiment is shown in Figs. 6 and 7. The angle has here the character 18. It has the necessary width which appears from Fig. 6. The edges 19a and 19b, a and 20b at this angle correspond to the end portions of the cross-pieces 14 in Figs. l-3 and 16 in Fig. 4 respectively. The angle 18 as in the other embodiments, mounts the sleeves 11 and 12 and the support 15 for the helical spring. In case an operating rod not shown belonging to a dummy of the opposing team of the opposite half of the game field must pass through the angle 18 parallel to the operating rod 8 of the angle, the angle is provided with a passage 21.

The embodiment according to Figs. 8-10 contemplates an arrangement for making the holder or carrier with all its appurtenant parts in one piece. It is made according to the same fundamental idea as the embodiment according to the Figs. 6 and 7 but with certain differences in the details. Thus the sheet-metal for the holder 22 is not bent so as to form a right angled body but it is bent to form a curved body in conformity with the outer curve of the helical spring 10 when said spring is in position, a small interspacebeing provided between them and designated by 22a in Fig. 9. Thus a protective support for the helical spring 10 is obtained, which support has been effected in the previous embodiments by the lap 15. The sleeves 11 and 12 are obtained by bending certain portions of the sheet-metal of which the holder is made. Fig. 10 shows the piece of sheet-metal for the holder punched out of the sheet prior to the bending of the sheet and the forming of the sleeves. The dash-anddot line is the central line through the sleeves and the characters correspond to respective parts in Figs. 8 and 9.

A dummy hockey player formed of flat sheet metal is shown in Fig. 9. The dummy is removably inserted and frictionally held in a vertical slot formed in the upper end of the revoluble upright standard 6, the slot being located above the playing surface of the upper board 1. If desired, the dummy may be permanently secured to the upright standard 6, but in such case the dummy should be suitably hinged to the standard so that it may be folded down against the playing surface of the upper board 1 when the game is not in use.

The embodiments of the invention described above are but examples of how said invention can be used. The invention may be varied in other ways without abandoning the fundamental idea of the same. The cross-pieces as well as the angles can at least partially be made of wire instead of strips of sheet-metal as shown in Figs. 1-5. The device can also be made so that the holder and its various parts are substantially made in one piece by pressing it in a mould using a suitable material such as metal, plastic or the like. It may then be desirable to make the sleeves open from the sides, so that the rod 8 and the standard 6 connected by the helical spring 10, can be placed in position in the holder, after which the sleeves may be closed in a suitable manner which may also be done when the holder is made of sheetmetal according to Figs. 8-10 in which case the sleeves are suitably closed by being rolled up.

Holders made in accordance with the above description slide very easily compared to holders of well known designs which slide in slots or grooves. This is of importance for the rapidity of the game. This easy sliding has one disadvantage, however, namely that when the game device is held slanting in the longitudinal direction of the rods, the holders with their rods slide of themselves by gravity along the playing field as far the slots therein permit. To prevent this sliding it may be arranged that when the holders with their rods are entirely inserted in the game device, means are provided for holding them tight in a suitable manner so that the sliding in question is prevented without the playing being particularly affected thereby. A way of arranging this is shown in Fig. 2, wherein the passage 7 in the frame 3 for the rod 8 is widened outward so that the rubber handle 9 of the rod fits somewhat tight in the widened portion of the passage 7. The outer widened portion of the passage is somewhat conical, so that the handle 9 can be guided into the part of said pasage intended for said handle. Instead of having such a holding or clamping arrangement for each handle, an edge member may be applied above and/ or below the rods along the frame 3, against which edge member respective handles are clamped, said edge slanting somewhat outwardly in order that the handles may be squeezed in. A clamping device for respective holders may alternatively be applied inside the frame of the game apparatus. In order to cause the holders to run more easily, the supports may be provided with suitable rolling members.

The deformation of the spring 10 can be prevented in other ways than by the lap 15 in Figs. 2 and 7 and by the bending 22a of the holder according to Fig. 9. Thus a check ring or a bar may be applied on the rod 8 outside the sleeve 11 which prevents the rod from being displaced against the spring and pressing against it. The flexible shaft coupling need not be a helical spring, but it may be made of some resilient material, for example rubber, or it may be constituted of two or more universal joints.

Having now described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a table game of the class described, in combination with a horizontal board member of which the upper surface is a playing surface, said board member having at least one elongated slot formed therein; supporting means for said board member providing a free space beneath said playing surface; a freely rotatable upright member adapted to carry a playing dummy, said upright member extending through said slot, said upright member being freely longitudinally movable along said slot; a longitudinally movable rod freely rotatable about its own longitudinal axis for moving said upright member, said rod being disposed in said free space and extending in a direction parallel to said slot; and coupling means connecting said upright member to said rod for rotary and longitudinal movement therewith, the provision of means defining a smooth, guiding surface for said upright member spaced beneath and extending parallel to said playing surface and further extending laterally outwardly beyond the free space beneath the slot through which said upright member extends; and an L-shaped bracket on the vertical and horizontal arms of which said upright member and said rod are journaled, said bracket comprising a lower surface which slidably engages the laterally outwardly extending portions of said guiding surface for preventing tilting of said upright member during movement thereof 2. A table game according to claim 1, in which said coupling means comprises a helical spring interconnecting said rod and said upright member, said bracket further comprising means for supporting said spring intermediate its ends.

3. A table game according to claim 2, wherein said means for supporting said spring consists of a tongue punched out of one of the arms of said bracket.

4. A table game according to claim 2, in which said spring is curved, and wherein said bracket comprises a curved surface in proximity to said spring, said curved surface constituting said supporting means for said spring.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

